A red sky with overcast clouds greeted Shawn as he stumbled, falling from some height, or at least feeling like he was falling.  The world turned and with it - the blur of shapes, clown faces, spinning merry-go-rounds.

Coming to with a sense of dizziness, Shawn could see the Circus not far from where he stood, a cluster of spiraling tents and a maze of mismatched colors, the labrynth of gaming shows deep within Side Show Alley. Up upon the hill, it was Mr. Cherrywinks' tent.

Shawn stood on the hill looking at the Circus from some distance. The Ferris wheel was spinning slowly and Shawn got the sense that it appeared more active than it had the last time he was here.

Shawn squinted at the Circus, the pit in his stomach opening up even wider. He really didn't want to be here, with the Book in his arms and the face paint weighing down his pockets. He considered cheating, just hiding here on the outskirts for an hour before coming back and telling Bobby and Ralph he couldn't find anything. There was no one here to be brave for, after all. But he knew from the way Bobby had acted that without something to placate him, he'd probably want to send Shawn back, or even go back himself. He tried to force himself to move forward, but with the dread in his stomach and without an immediate threat, he kept hesitating.

As his legs trembled, he tried to remember what Ralph had said - there was someone here that could find his blanket, right? That'd be something tangible, and maybe after that he could convince Bobby it was too risky right?

Low-hanging red mist parted as if inviting Shawn to wade through it, creating a path that would lead him to the Circus.  But there was something else. A figure emerging: Slender and moving with the grace of refinement.  A woman.

At first just a shadow but as it came closer, Shawn could see that it took the shape of someone or something he hadn't seen before. It wasn't Gaggles. The woman made her way up the hill through the red mist, hips swaying back and forth, arms swinging front and back, wrists dangling.

Closer still, Shawn could see that the woman was indeed one of the Circus' 'creatures.' She was covered in tattoos.



"You...there.." She called out, voice filled with body, yet silky smooth like an actress on the silver screen of old.

Shawn gripped the Book tightly for reassurance - if this went bad, at least he could open it up and escape, right? But he didn't want to risk blowing his deal with the Circus just yet. So he answered back, hesitantly. "...Hello?"

"You need a tattoo, sweety?" The woman-like figure said. She emerged from the red mist, and Shawn could see that she was covered in tatoos. Every inch of her skin bore detailed sketches of figures in red, blue and orange ink. Her shoulders were covered in what looked like spider web tattoos.

"I've got more than a few tattoos to spare, Brooksy." She offered.

"No thank you." Shawn tried to keep his voice calm and polite, even as he prepared to flee.

Shawn saw the lady walk towards him and thought for a moment that she planned to attack. But instead, she just turned to the right, making her way a different direction as Shawn's grip on the book intensified.  The Book, seemingly unafriad, slapped at Shawn's face with its leathery tongue in gentle pats, giving the Shawn the impression that it was intentionally trying to be obnoxious.

The lady stopped and threw her head over her shoulder, looking at Shawn with a quizzical expression.

"You lost sweetheart? Anything I can help you with?" She asked, body still turned towards the direction of her destination, wherever that was.

"I-I'm fine. Just trying to remember where I need to go; I don't want to bother you." Oddly enough, now that he had an audience, Shawn found it easier to not seem so scared. Yes, he was equally terrified as before, perhaps moreso. But now he had an audience, so he could pretend much more easily.

"Alright dear." She said, not seeming to care too much about Shawn's fear. Not reveling in it, but also not trying to make him more afraid.

"If you're looking to pawn something sweetheart, first turn on the left. If you're looking to go to the Ferris wheel, head on straight, sweetheart. And if you're looking for games, Side Show Alley is straight ahead." she winked. And the, just like that she was off. Walking to wherever it was she was going.

Shawn stayed put until he was sure the tattooed woman was gone. The pawnshop sounded familiar- hadn't Ralph mentioned it once? Still feeling a lump of fear in his stomach, he set out, looking for the first turn on the left.

Shawn followed the directions, looking for the first turn on the left. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, the tattooed woman was gone. He passed a large group of ticket booths. They appeared to be empty, but the lights were on, as if the attendants were just out or perhaps someone was preparing to open shop soon. Then, at the cotton candy booth, Shawn turned left.

Immediately he saw a tent. It must have been the pawn shop. The light inside was a bright yellow. An it appeared that someone was inside. Two hands pressed from the inside of the tent, as if beckoning someone passerby to come inside.

Shawn approached the door hesitantly, looking inside it before walking into the tent.

Before Shawn could fully get his head in, a small, child-like head 'popped' out. Some sort of baby, or a creature that looked like a baby, skittered down the edge of the fabric from one flap of the tent, landing on the cold earth with both feet. It was wearing a diaper.

"Welcome to the pawn shop." it announced with a nasely voice. "You're not rude are you?"

Shawn hadn't even got a chance to see what was inside the tent.

Shawn took a step back in surprise and tried to muster a reply. "Umm...not intentionally. If I offended you, I apologize?"

The creature seemed to think about that for a second, scratching its head. A few flecks of dandriff and dead skin came off the top of its head and floated to the floor. It only stood about three feet tall.

"No...." it seemed to settle on a answer. "No, you're not rude."

"When all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed. That's what I've learned. That's why I don't grant wishes at the pawn shop. I make trades. The most genius ideas are in the minds of children and lunatics.
I describe myself as somewhere in between."

"Oh, okay." The creature's words were confusing, but at least he didn't seem hostile. And now Shawn knew this was the man(?) he was looking for. "Can I make a trade here?"

"Step right up! Welcome to the pawn shop my boy, if you've got the goods, I've got the trade. The best investment you can make, is an investment in yourself...The more you learn, the more you'll earn."

"That's my thought. Because that's the way I think! I bet that you've got more to give than you're letting on. Do you want to come in and see my goods? I've been collecting things from the floor of the Circus over a number of years. And I have people curry things to me from the real world, to make trades."

If the creature was inviting Shawn in, he follows it into the tent. "I'm looking for a blanket, it would've been lost here <length of time> ago. I brought some money too..." He started to rummage around in his pockets for his savings.

Shawn stepped into the tent. It was brighter than he expected inside. There were plush, red drapes that adorned the walls, and a soft, shag carpet that seemed to clutch at his feet. Along the wall behind a counter, was a large rack of shelves containing jars and various wares and items.



"No! No!" The baby-child rejected Shawn's notion of money. "I don't deal in matters of currency or bills. They change too often with the times. Things come and go, especially countries and city-states. Take the probability of loss times the amount of possible loss from the probability of gain times the amount of possible gain. That is what we're trying to do when we make a deal here. It's imperfect, but that's what it's all about." He explained.

"I'm Crowley Noggenfogger, pleased to meet you. I like to offer a special price to friends of mine. What's you're name? Maybe we can be friends."

Remembering Crowley's apparently problem with rudeness, Shawn chose his next words carefully. "It's nice to meet you, Crowley Noggenfogger. My name is Shawn Cramer. If you don't want money, what sort of payment do you take?" He stopped checking his pockets and just absorbed the surroundings. There was so much stuff in here; he couldn't even begin to figure out what it all was.

"Most folks around these parts don't have much to trade other than soul rocks, things that they found in sideshow alley, or the odd, rare or strange item they were fortunate enough to get the Master Maker to create for them."

"For outsiders such as yourself, I usually deal in pieces of souls, things from the other world, or tasks I need to get done." He smiled, seemingly taken in by Shawns good manners. When he smiled, Shawn noticed that Crowley's baby-faced mouth had two rows of teeth: both on the upper and lower areas of his mouth, four in total. Each tooth looked like a fine needle: pointed, thin and sharp. They came out in direct, straight junctures, give Crowley's mouth the appearance of a gaping maw. The gesture wasn't meant to be offensive, just the way it was, for this baby creature. The smile did appear genuine.

"...pieces of souls?" Shawn hadn't thought to bring much with him, and he already had a number of tasks he was doing on others' behalf. He had a bad feeling about this, but pushed forward anyway. "So...would you happen to have a blanket?"

"Yes. Pieces of souls. You just tell me how much of your soul you want to pawn and I'll get the paper ready. Then we can get started and I'll get the Widget Trancer ready. If you're ready, I can start riding the bicycle to warm it up. It usually takes about five minutes. Don't worry though, once we get going it only takes about three minutes to suck a piece of your soul out through your ear, depending on the size."

"Blankets?" He asked surprised. "Come to think of it, there was a child's blanket I picked up a while back. All frayed at the edges. Someone must have dropped it off the Ferris Wheel. I usually go there after the Circus makes a pit stop. You see once the patrons come in, they never come out. They all get converted to soul rock, for the smoking. And some for the proprietor that Cherrywinks has to deliver to. Anyway, we didn't get any patrons yet at this stop because the Circus isn't open. Which is why it was so strange to find such a blanket. Someone inside the circus must have climbed up the Ferris Wheel and dropped it."

"What happens to a person who's missing part of their soul?" Shawn was feeling a little more positively disposed towards Ralph, but not so much he'd give up his soul for his blanket. "Can I see the blanket? It has to be a specific one."

Noggenfogger scratched his head some more, and more flakes of white dandruff came off his scalp. Shawn noticed that a rash, red and angry ran from one side of the baby's neck up to the top of his head where he was scratching.  Then, with the other hand he pulled an old frayed cord that was weaved with golden threads. Instantly, red curtains parted to reveal a glass showcase. In the center of the showcase was Ralph's blanket. His rubba-sucky. It was just like the young kid had described. Rainbow colored. Shawn could tell that Crowley knew that Shawn knew that it was exactly what he was looking for.

"Souls. Pieces of souls." He said outloud. "Well, if you only give a bit, say a small piece, you usually feel tired."(OOC: Permanent loss of 1 Willpower)

"A larger piece, say a quart of the essence, and you can grab something really good in the wares room." (OOC: Permanent loss of 1 Willpower, 1 Wits)

"If you give me half of a soul, then I'd give you something that would be so valuable, you'd never have to work again." (OOC: Permanent loss of 3 Willpower, 2 Wits).

"Of course, If you don't want to trade a piece of your sou, I could always use someone to go into the sewer and retrieve something for me."